Anchoring system in place for solar integration with Dutch offshore wind

Offshore installation works have been completed for the anchoring system of the first offshore solar farm that is to be installed within the Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind farm, according to Oceans of Energy.

The floating solar array, supplied by Oceans of Energy, will be moored within the HKN wind farm in the Dutch North Sea, 22 kilometers off the coast. The array is expected to be electrically connected to a nearby wind turbine foundation through a dedicated power cable.

“The installation of the anchoring system is a huge milestone as it marks the first offshore installation works for this groundbreaking project,” said Oceans of Energy Founder & CEO, Allard van Hoeken. 

“This world’s first offshore solar project within an offshore wind farm demonstrates the enormous potential of combining offshore solar and offshore wind. This combination brings a more continuous flow of electricity to land and means a potential increase of energy output by up to 5 times, while using the same area of sea. I am very proud of the Oceans of Energy team for being able to prepare and manage an offshore project to the highest safety standards so well and I am very grateful to our Client Crosswind for their support and to our subcontractors Boskalis and Muller Dordrecht for their fantastic performances.”

Hollandse Kust Noord is operated by CrossWind, a joint venture (JV) between Shell and Eneco.

“CrossWind is proud to report significant progress in our offshore solar project,” said Jeroen van Loon, Offshore Solar Project Manager, CrossWind. 

“The successful installation of the anchors marks a key milestone in the realization of this pioneering offshore solar concept, surrounded by the wind turbines of Hollandse Kust Noord. The reliability of the anchoring system is critical, not only for the safety and stability of the floating solar park, but also to ensure it operates seamlessly alongside the surrounding wind turbines. We’re very pleased with the high-quality design, the professional execution, and the strong safety culture demonstrated by Oceans of Energy throughout this phase.”

Boskalis and Muller Dordrecht carried out the installation works.

Steve van Hulle, Director of Boskalis Marine Services, said the project represented a new challenge that combined the company’s offshore expertise with its experience in offshore wind infrastructure installation. He noted Boskalis’ role in transporting and installing the mooring system for the North Sea solar array, developed in partnership with Oceans of Energy. 

“The project execution went smoothly with safety as a top priority, and the excellent performance of the captain and the crew of the Princess was instrumental in the success of this project,” Van Hulle noted.

CrossWind’s Hollandse Kust Noord project is a 759 MW offshore wind project that will use technologies and engineering solutions to improve the flexibility of offshore wind farms.

The project has many first-offs, including being the first wind farm in the world with an offshore combination of battery storage and round-trip green hydrogen produced from offshore wind power on a megawatt scale. Once constructed, the offshore wind farm will generate at least 3.3 TWh of clean energy per year.

Oceans of Energy was awarded the contract for installing and operating an offshore solar farm inside the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind park in April 2023.

Last week, Oceans of Energy and CrossWind reported the successful factory acceptance test and delivery of the electrical power cable that will export energy from the solar array to the foundation pile.